MACRA NA FEIRME CONFERENCE:CRITICISM OF the recent tractorcade protest and the direction taken by farm organisations led to a sharp clash of opinion between the guest speakers and the president of Macra na Feirme, Michael Gowing, at the group's annual conference in Bantry.
Adrian van Bysterveldt, who is recognised as the world expert in grass utilisation, had been highly critical of the recent tractorcade protest during his presentation at the Farming 2020 conference which is the centrepiece of the weekend Macra conference.
He asked how did farmers think by driving “flash” tractors with heated cabs through towns because they claimed they were not being paid enough for what they were doing, was going to gain them any sympathy.
“All you are doing is trying to rub the noses of the people struggling to buy a €1,000 car or people who are worried about their job. Doing a protest like that because ‘I am not being paid enough’, that has got to stop. It has absolutely got to stop,” he said.
Mr van Bysterveldt went on to tell the Macra delegates they should be involved in their farm organisations but should hold protests on issues such as bureaucrats bringing in unscientific regulations. These were issues which should be fought on but on issues of pay and money, there should be no protests.
Another key speaker, Michael Murphy, a Cork-based dairy farmer with farming interests on four continents involving the milking of 30,000 cows, criticised the farm organisations for lobbying on short-term issues and showing what he termed no sense of long-term vision.
Mr Gowing, who heads the 9,000-strong youth farming organisation, said he would make no apology for going out on protests or tractorcades to highlight the bad decisions being made by the Government and the EU in relation to farming, and in particular, to young farmers.
“I make no apology for people going out on protest on tractorcades. I see nothing wrong with people going out to protest to say they need a better source of income. We have to fight for ourselves,” said Mr Gowing.
He agreed protests would have to be held against the crazy decisions made by bureaucrats such as farming by calendar. His organisation had to fight and win the war against those making decisions which put blockades against young farmers making a living.
Mr van Bysterveldt, a New Zealander, and Mr Murphy who has farming interests in that country, Chile, Argentina, the US and here, told the young farmers there were major opportunities awaiting those who were prepared to work hard in dairying.
They both stressed Ireland had a major advantage because of our ability to grow grass on which milk was produced. Farms, they said, would have to get bigger and more efficient especially in their handling of costs and maximum use of the grass advantage we have here.
Mr van Bysterveldt reminded the delegates the Cork Butter Market, from a position where it was the largest in the world serviced by 80,000 Irish farmers, collapsed rapidly from 1870 onwards because it had not changed to meet consumer preferences for less salty butter and competition. He and Mr Murphy said resistance to change would mean the death of any industry.
Mr Murphy said his greatest problem was finding enough capable young people in his dairying operations which he was expanding to a herd of 50,000.